Hi, everybody... I've searched for the word "crisper"; and found that most if not all dictionaries describe it as a noun. Yet, I find it strange to describe a sound as "crispier" (than say, b4 technology came in...) Please advise. Thanks !
"crisper" = comparative of "crisp" "crispier" = comparative of "crispy" "crisper" is also a noun which normally refers to a part of a fridge where you store vegetables that you want to keep "crisp". As far as a "crisp sound" or "crispy sound" is concerned, I think both seem a bit strange. Do you have any more context for this?
In the Cambridge dictionary, crisp is said: 5) "describes sound or an image that is very clear: example: Now that we have cable, we get a wonderfully crisp picture, even on our old TV." Thanks for responding !!!
LeMakiyo, the expressions "crisp sound" and "crisp picture" as very familiar to me. Perhaps they aren't used as much in Snowman's part of the world. In a comparative setting, you can refer to something having a "crisper sound" or delivering a "crisper picture" than something else. As Snowman notes, "crispiness" is a whole different concept. You might like your potato chips crispy, but not your sound. Elisabetta
Thank you, Elisabetta. So it means you agree that "crisper" can be used as an adjective, not just a noun? Btw (By the way), what does the word under your user ID "Moderatrice" mean ?? Does it mean "moderator" ? If so, does that mean you are part of the team that created this forum? Thanks again !!
I also find it a bit strange to call a sound "crisper"... I have decided to say "louder and clearer"...
Depending on the sound you are describing, may not be exactly what you mean--especially louder. The crispness of a sound would not depend on how loud it was. A crisp sound would be very clean; in technology that would be sounds that are both free of distortion and clearly distinguishable. In someone's speech that would mean accurate sounds (no mispronunciation) and words that were clearly separate from one another--multiple words that are not spoken as if they were one.
Do you think "crisper and sharper" is fine? Problem then is : do "crisper" and "sharper" mean the same thing? Thank you !
I do think that "crisper and sharper" would be redundant. You could use just one of the words. If it is important to have “crisper and X” with the “and” being important, I would use another word. I am better at connotations than grammar; perhaps a grammarian could confirm if “crisper, sharper” would be correct? The “and” suggests a separate quality, while the coma allows for clarification. If the “and” is not important to the balance of the sentence, this would use both words to emphasize the point.
Hmm... maybe it's because I'm involved in music, but "crisper and sharper" do not seem redundant to me. A person could speak very crisply without speaking sharply - a mincing, effete type of speech, for instance. A librarian comes to mind. A person could speak very sharply without speaking crisply. Drill sergeants come to mind. Walking through dry leaves could be a very crisp sound without being sharp. Stepping on dry twigs produces a sharper and crisper sound than walking through dry leaves, in my opinion.
True, True. Thank you, JamesM for clearly expressing these thoughts. When answering the question “Do you think "crisper and sharper" is fine?” I debated whether or not to include my thoughts that the word crisp could also describe the sound of tearing iceberg lettuce, not just it’s consistency—and that the word sharp might also describe a sound that either hurt the ears or was rude. I backspaced several tries; what tipped the scales in favor of the “redundant” reply was probably the context of the definition from the Cambridge dictionary and LeMakiyo’s suggestion of “louder and clearer.” If "crisper and sharper" are both intended as synonyms for a clear sound, I would still think that it sounds redundant to say “and” instead of using a comma. If the intention was to express two separate qualities of the sound, then I would stick with using “and.” Stepping on broken TV parts would probably produce both separate sharp and crisp noises, but I would rather just watch and listen to one that projected clear reproductions of sounds. LeMakiyo, could you help us out by providing a more complete context?
mccatlover & JamesM, thank you both very much for your responses. Actually I am trying to translate from a Chinese description of a sound.. the Chinese words are 更加清晰响亮; which roughly mean: 更加 - more (and according to an online Chinese English dictionary: ) 清晰 - clear / distinct and 响亮 - loud and clear / resounding I would very much welcome other contributors' viewpoints.
